2020 Year In Review

It’s not a stretch to say that most of us are happy to see 2020 in the rearview mirror. It was a difficult year. Still, it wasn’t all bad.

The CGSC Foundation continued our mission, despite the challenges. As we say “Good riddance” to 2020, and ring in new year, let’s look back on the past 365 days.

Thank you to all who stuck by us during 2020. We appreciate your support – both your charitable gifts and the moral support your provided throughout the year.

The CGSC Foundation is confident that 2021 will be a great year for the Foundation, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the greater Fort Leavenworth community, and we look forward to another 365 days of executing our mission.

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January

• The CGSC Foundation launched our new scholarship program on January 2, 2020. “We launched this program in 2020 and were pleased with the submissions and the winners. – Last year’s four winners are outstanding, very impressive young adults,” said Foundation President/CEO Rod Cox.
• Mr. Ralph Erwin, Senior Geospatial Intelligence Officer, spoke on the roles and missions of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency on January 28. His presentation was the sixth presentation of the InterAgency Brown-Bag Lecture Series for CGSC academic year 2020.

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February

• On February 10, the CGSC Foundation hosted a visit of 30 members of the 2019-2021 class of the Kansas Agricultural and Rural Leadership  program based at Kansas State University.
• As part of the Rotary Reads program, Overland Park Rotary Club member and CGSC Foundation Trustee Mike Meyer arranged for the donation of more than 300 children’s books to the Ike Skelton Combined Arms Research Library on February 14, 2020.
• Interagency faculty members from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College met with Foundation leadership on February 18, to discuss opportunities for further collaboration and new initiatives planned by the Simons Center for Interagency Cooperation.
• The seventh presentation of the InterAgency Brown-Bag Lecture Series for Academic Year 2020 took place on February 25, and featured two agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Kansas City Division – FBI Supervisory Special Agent Dana Kreeger and Intelligence Analyst Kenneth Hines.

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March

• Leadership of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College hosted the 2020 TASS Advisory Council Meeting at the Lewis and Clark Center on March 7, 2020. During meeting, CGSC Foundation President/CEO Rod Cox briefed the attendees about the Foundation’s support to the resident students in order to elicit some input as to how the Foundation might better engage with students in the TASS system.
• On March 12, Stephanie Chetraru, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Distinguished Chair for Development Studies, presented on the U.S. Agency for International Development’s mission to build self-reliance and combat malign Kremlin influence and predatory Chinese lending.

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April

• The CGSC Foundation announced the winners of their inaugural scholarship competition on April 15, 2020 – Austin Shoffner, Alannah Skinner, Abigail Loch, and Aubrie Penfield.
• The Simons Center celebrated it’s 10th anniversary, having opened it’s doors on April 21, 2010. While a special anniversary event wasn’t possible at the time, the Simons Center has big plans for 2021.
• The CGSC Foundation launched it’s online gift store on April 24, 2020. You can now shop in-store at our location inside the Lewis and Clark Building, or online.

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May

• With your help, the CGSC Foundation raised more than $5,000 on May 5, 2020 as part of GivingTuesdayNow. The Foundation used these funds to provide extra support to the Combined Arms Research Library and other great causes on Fort Leavenworth.
• In May, the CGSC Foundation published the Spring 2020 edition of the Foundation News magazine. This edition featured a special story about two hometown heroes.
• On May 21, 158 students graduated the School of Advanced Military Studies. The virtual graduation ceremony was posted to the Army University Facebook page and the CGSC YouTube site.

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June

• On June 11, an in-person award ceremony was held in the Marshall Auditorium of the Lewis and Clark Center to present the individual awards to the winners. Many of the awards presented are sponsored by the CGSC Foundation.
• A virtual graduation ceremony was held on June 12, 2020, with 1,125 graduates from the resident class of the Command and General Staff Officer Course at Fort Leavenworth. The Fort Lee satellite campus class graduated 62 students on April 22, the Fort Belvoir satellite campus graduated 125 officers on April 23, and the Redstone Arsenal satellite campus graduated 62 students on April 24.

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July

• In July, the CGSC Foundation donated a small collection of books to the Fort Leavenworth Garrison to be used as prizes in an upcoming FMWR Family Fun night on July 25, 2020.

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August

• The CGSC Foundation spent the month of August preparing for the arrival of the class of 2021 and the launch of a new program, the Arter-Rowland National Security Forum.

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September

• The Command and General Staff Officer Course class of 2021 kicked off with International Military Student Flag Ceremony on September 8, 2020. Flags of the United States and the 43 partner nations that have students attending this year’s class were posted.
• Former CGSC Foundation trustee Mike Meyer, made a donation of children’s books and other items on September 14. The Foundation will provide the donations to military families through several organizations on Fort Leavenworth the Foundation supports such as FMWR, the Ike Skelton Combined Arms Research Library, and Army Community Services.
• The CGSC Foundation launched the new Arter-Rowland National Security Forum on September 23, 2020. This first presentation focused on the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility in Manhattan, Kansas. Dr. Ron W. Trewyn, the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility Liaison from the Office of the President of Kansas State University, conducted the presentation.

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October

• The CGSC Foundation celebrated National Book Month in October. The Foundation is proud to support the faculty and alumni of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in their research and scholarship.
• The first presentation of the InterAgency Brown-Bag Lecture Series for CGSC academic year 2021 was conducted October 6, 2020. Mr. Roderic C. Jackson, the Defense Intelligence Chair and Defense Intelligence Agency Representative to the Combined Arms Center and Army University, led a discussion about the Defense Intelligence Agency.
• CGSC Foundation Director of Operations Lora Morgan participated in the Combined Arms Research Library’s Community Reads program. In a video released on October 9, Morgan read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.

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November

• The CGSC Foundation published the Fall 2020 edition of the Foundation News magazine at the beginning of November. This edition featured a special story about Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Robert Arter.
• This year, the CGSC Foundation participated in the Wreaths Across America program as a way to honor the veterans interred at the Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery, holding a wreath sponsorship drive in the month of November.
• Mr. Thomas A. Gray, the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Liaison to the Combined Arms Center and Army University, discussed the topic of the domain of space and interagency operations at the InterAgency Brown-Bag Lecture on November 19.

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December

• This year on GivingTuesday, you helped the Foundation raise over $15,000 in support of the Soldiers and military families at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College!
• In early December, the CGSC Foundation’s traditional holiday ornament series continued  with the release of the Zais Park Gazebo Ornament. The new ornament was so popular, it sold out in less than 3 weeks.
• The CGSC Foundation hosted its annual holiday “Friends of the Foundation Appreciation Luncheon” for its suppliers, providers and other partners on December 11, at June’s Northland in downtown Leavenworth, Kansas. COVID-19 restrictions were observed and masks were required except when eating and the room was set to social distancing standards.
• On December 19, the CGSC Foundation participated in the annual laying of wreaths on veterans’ graves in the Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery. “I strongly believe in the importance of honoring veterans in this way,” said CGSC Foundation President/CEO Rod Cox. “The Foundation is honored to have been able to pitch in this year and we will continue to participate in this program in 2021.”

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More 2020 photos can be found on the CGSC Foundation’s Facebook page.